DCC Student Services Counselors Respond to Student Stress
Stress: Student Tribune Submission #1
STUDENTS: The Counselors at the DCC Student Services Office wants you to know that we
have heard you. Through our surveys, you have made it clear that the unavoidable issues and
demands of life, combined with the rigors of succeeding in college, create a stressful situation.
We would like to support you, by being available for listening, talking and guidance, as always,
but also by addressing some of the concerns that make life stressful. In the next few weeks
leading to finals, and graduation for some of you, we will be providing some information bytes in
various formats for you to peruse and use, if you choose.
This week, the topic is parenting and information will be provided in a question and answer
format.
Question:
Help! My three-year-old boy has no interest in potty training but he needs to be “mostly”
trained for his pre-school program, which begins in September. I am normally content to
wait until he’s ready, but I need some advice as to how to push him without being too
pushy!
Answer:
From what I’ve read and my experience (I’ve trained two), the language and talking
about it comes first, identifying what’s happening when it’s happening comes second,
knowing that it’s going to happen without being able to control it is third, and only after
this point will he be able to communicate the need to go before it happens. If you believe
this theory, the stages are developmental, and wherever your child is on the continuum, is
where he is; pushing it will only stress him out or make him rebel, or as some
pediatrician's believe, give him constipation problems when he’s older.
There are many different theories and some believe it is possible to train earlier but most
believe boys take longer. Have you looked into other preschool options? Not all have this
caveat. Why put all this pressure on yourself to live up to someone else’s timeline?
If this is the only option for preschools, there are many books on the subject of potty
training in three days or whatever. A first step is...since the weather is getting warm, once
it does, let him go naked in the backyard...put a potty in the yard and let him explore
it...when the inevitable happens, talk about what’s happening and suggest the use of the
potty. A good book and accompanying video is “Once Upon a Potty.” There are two
versions, one for boys and one for girls. You can get them through the library.